Trump and Harris held the first debate: the main statements of the candidates for the presidency of the United States
In the United States, the first debate took place between the presidential candidates – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. This discussion covered a wide range of domestic political issues, but foreign policy, including the topics of Ukraine, was also touched upon.
The debate, which was scheduled to last 90 minutes, was slightly delayed due to Trump’s lengthy remarks. According to CNN, he spoke for more than 43 minutes in total, while Harris got 37.5 minutes of airtime.
The main focus was on domestic American issues: the economy, migration issues, the ban on abortion, the protection of democracy, the health care system and the peaceful transfer of power. However, the topics of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas were also not ignored.
Russian aggression against Ukraine
The debate on Russia’s war against Ukraine began only an hour after the debate began, but it was emotional and tense. Trump reiterated that the Russian invasion would not have happened if he had remained president, but avoided a direct answer to the moderator’s question about whether he supported Ukraine’s victory in this war.
“I want the war to stop. I want to save lives because people are dying by the millions, the numbers are much higher than what you are getting, these are fake numbers”, Trump said.
He could not present a specific “peace plan”, but noted that he would call the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, and then the war would end.
In response, Kamala Harris accused Trump of a penchant for flirting with dictators, noting that Trump “would have given up in 24 hours” and that “Putin would already be in Kyiv looking at Europe.”
“You think you’re friends with a dictator, but he’d eat you for lunch”, — noted the vice president.
Conflict between Israel and Hamas
Speaking about the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, Trump said that these events would not have happened if he had remained president. He called on Israel to “finish what it started” and quickly end the conflict, stressing that the US should allow Israel to “get things done.”
Kamala Harris reiterated the official position of the Biden administration regarding Israel’s “unwavering support” and that country’s right to self-defense. However, she also noted that it is important how Israel conducts its defense and mentioned the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as well as the numerous casualties among the civilian population.
“We know this war has to end. It has to end immediately, and the way it’s going to end is we need a cease-fire agreement and we need the release of the hostages. So we’re going to continue to work around the clock on that.”, she said and added that she is in favor of resolving the conflict based on the “two-state” principle.
Relations between Trump and Orbán
During the debate, Harris noted that many world leaders laughed at Trump, and some military leaders called him a “disgrace.” In response, Trump mentioned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who, according to the ex-president, highly appreciated his political influence.
“Look, this is what Viktor Orbán said. He said that the person most respected and most feared is Donald Trump.” – he added, and also called Orbán “one of the most respected people”.
2020 elections and peaceful transfer of power
Trump again refused to concede defeat in the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden. He also rejected all previous statements that could indicate otherwise.
“Did I say that? It was said with sarcasm”, — Trump explained, adding that he had “so much evidence” of his victory that, in his opinion, he was the one who won the election.
Trump also denied responsibility for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, shifting the blame for security to then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Harris urged not to dwell on the past, but to focus on the future: “Let’s set a course for the future, not turn back to the past”, – she emphasized.
